Maximum HealthSpan

09/02/2026

What’s the BEST Interval? Tabata? Norwegian 4X4? HIIT? Hills? Fartlek? Threshold?

Long story short is…it depends.

It depends on your current level of fitness AND what specific goals you’re trying to achieve.

Intervals are tools. Different projects require different tools depending on what it is you’re trying to build.

Are you trying to get FASTER? Over what distance? 1 mile or 10?

Are you trying to become more resistant to fatigue when you go hiking all day with your friends in the mountains?

We identify 5 “Training Zones” because each zone represents a different response by your body to different levels of intensity. Odds are your body handles some intensity levels better than others. All athletes have strengths and weaknesses. Determining your specific goal is the first step, then you must correctly identify your specific strengths and weaknesses. From there it’s as simple as identifying the specific intervals that both improve the weaknesses that are holding you back from attaining your goals and boost your strengths further.

DM the word “GUIDE” and I’ll send you a link to my FREE Guide to Interval Training.

Link in bio to learn more about Lab-grade VO2 Max and Fitness testing that gives you the information you need to build the plan that will most efficiently take you to your goals.

08/26/2026

Stop logging miles and start training EFFICIENTLY!

Understanding how your unique physiology adapts to exercise at different intensities is the KEY to making sure every workout effectively improves your fitness.

A lab-grade VO2 Max test directly measures your cardiovascular, respiratory, and metabolic performance from rest to peak exertion. By identifying your exact physiological thresholds, it removes the guesswork—giving you the precise training zones that deliver the greatest return on your time and effort.

Every level of intensity from Zone 1 to Zone 5 triggers a different adaptation. Step one is to accurately identify each of these training zones and our lab-grade VO2 Max tests are the gold standard. If you need help applying these training zones to your workout calendar, Maximum Healthspan can create a personalized training program that’s unique to YOUR fitness and YOUR goals.

Click the link in bio to schedule your test now!

DM ‘GUIDE’ to get a link to our FREE Guide to Interval Training

08/24/2026

Want to run faster for longer? Stop doing 20-minute continuous threshold grinds before you’re ready. 🛑🏃‍♂️

When you’re ready to introduce true threshold work into your training, Short Zone 4 Intervals are the gold standard starting point.

Your threshold pace is one of the single biggest predictors of endurance race performance. It dictates the highest sustained pace you can hold before fatigue rapidly sets in. But jumping straight into long, continuous tempo efforts often causes runners to overshoot their true threshold, accumulate excessive muscular fatigue, and turn a quality session into a slog.
Breaking your threshold work into manageable 1 to 8-minute blocks with purposeful recovery gives you three massive advantages:
* Higher Quality Pacing: You can accumulate 15–30 total minutes at your exact threshold intensity without breakdown in form or mechanics.
* Controlled Lactate Clearance: The short recovery allows partial clearance of metabolic byproducts, training your body to buffer and clear lactate efficiently.
* Lower Recovery Cost: You get the precise physiological stimulus you need while bouncing back much faster for your remaining weekly mileage.

Try This Session:
Warm up with 10–15 min easy Zone 2 running + dynamic drills
Run 4 min at Zone 4 pace
Jog 2 min easy Zone 1–2 recovery
Repeat 5 times (20 min total Zone 4 work)10 min easy cooldown

Progression tip: Start around 10–12 minutes of total threshold work and progress by 4–6 minutes every couple of weeks as your aerobic engine expands.

Knowing your exact heart rate and pace for Zone 4 makes the difference between building threshold speed and overtraining. Lab-grade VO₂ Max testing pinpoints your real ventilatory and lactate thresholds so every minute of your training has a purpose.
📍 Link in bio to book your VO₂ Max test in Lincoln Park, Chicago or explore remote cardio coaching!


08/19/2026

Your heart needs more than one kind of training stimulus.
Low intensity builds cardiac capacity: more blood pumped per beat.
High intensity builds cardiac power: a stronger contraction when the demand is high.
Neither is “better.” They create different adaptations—and a smart training plan uses both in the right amounts.
The catch: your ideal intensities are not determined by a generic Zone 2 chart or an estimated max heart rate.
If you want training zones based on your physiology, book a VO2 Max + Threshold Test through the link in bio.

08/17/2026

Want to build explosive speed and power without burning out your central nervous system?

Enter Alactic Sprint Intervals⚡

Most athletes train intervals in a perpetual state of fatigue, turning every speed session into a glycolytic grind. Alactic sprints do the exact opposite: they train your neuromuscular system and phosphagen (ATP-PC) energy pathway under near-zero fatigue.

The Breakdown

- Work: Maximal effort (Zone 5+) for 5–20 seconds
- Recover: Complete recovery (Zone 1 walk/jog) for 1–3 minutes
- Work to Rest Ratio: 1:8 to 1:12
- Volume: 6–12 total sprints
- Goal: Develop top-end speed, recruitment of fast-twitch muscle fibers, and running economy

The Golden Rule: Rest Is Mandatory

If your recovery intervals are too short, power output drops, lactate accumulates, and you lose the neuromuscular adaptation. Keep the work explosive and the rest generous.

Ready to Optimize Your Training Zones?

📩 DM "GUIDE” and I will send you a direct link to my **FREE Guide to Interval Training** so you can learn how to structure every interval for maximum performance and healthspan.

👉 Save this post for your next track or treadmill session!

CardioCoaching ChicagoRunners

08/12/2026

12 weeks. Same runner. Completely different engine.
Ryan didn’t just get faster — he got efficient.
His average training run is now 35 seconds faster… with a heart rate that’s 9 bpm lower.
That’s not grinding harder. That’s aerobic efficiency unlocking.
We started with real lab data from his VO2 max + threshold test, then built a custom 12-week remote program where every single run had a clear purpose. No more random miles. No more “just logging.” True training.
Bonus body comp over those same 12 weeks:
• +1.5 lbs muscle
• -3.4% body fat
When you stop guessing and start training with precision, the body adapts fast.
Ready to stop logging and start training?
Link in bio to book your test / coaching consult. DM the word GUIDE for a link to my FREE guide to interval training.
TrainingWithPurpose ThresholdTraining CardioPhysiology MaxHealthChicago

08/10/2026

08/05/2026

Every cardio workout should have a clear PURPOSE, because it also has a cost: time, energy, and recovery.
Training zones help you match the intensity of your workout to the adaptation you want. Easy aerobic work builds efficiency and lets you recover. Tempo and threshold work improve sustainable performance. Higher-intensity work can help build VO₂ max—but it also carries a greater fatigue cost.
The goal is not to spend all your time in one “best” zone. Every zone can be valuable when it is used intentionally, in the right amount, at the right time.
The problem: generic watch zones are often just estimates. If your zones are inaccurate, you may be training too hard on easy days, too easy on hard days, or simply guessing at what your workout is meant to accomplish.
Know your physiology. Know your zones. Make every workout count.
Chicago-based and want accurately measured training zones through VO₂ max and threshold testing? Or need a cardio plan built around your actual fitness? Link in bio.
ThresholdTraining Zone2Training ChicagoFitness Healthspan CardioCoaching

08/03/2026

Aerobic tempo intervals are a simple way to accumulate quality work that “gently” challenges your aerobic capacity without turning every session into a maximal effort.

Try this:

Warm up 10–15 minutes easy

Alternate 3 minutes steady tempo / Zone 3 with 3 minutes easy Zone 2

Repeat for 40 minutes total

Cool down as needed

The goal is controlled, repeatable work—not racing the intervals. You should finish feeling like you could complete another round with good form.

Your ideal pace, power, and heart-rate range depend on your individual thresholds. A VO₂ Max test can help identify those zones and take the guesswork out of your training.

DM me “GUIDE” and I’ll automatically send you my free Guide to Interval Training, with 15 science-based interval methods to help you build aerobic fitness, improve VO2 max, become more fatigue-resistant, and recover better.

04/03/2023

Falling short in some area of your life?😢

Deconstruct the issue at hand.

What are your BELIEFS?

What CHOICES are those beliefs leading you to make?

Are those choices leading you to the RESULTS you seek?

Gain clarity. Adjust as necessary. Solve your problems. Become a more awesomer human.